Starbucks Training Day

Via Library trainer Lori Reed:

From the Starbucks Web site, “That amounts to almost a half a million hours of training in one night.

My first thought on hearing this announcement was publicity stunt. Why do you need to close for training? Why can’t you do it before or after closing or off site? I learned though that this was more than training in how to make a cup of coffee. According to the Starbucks Web site this was “a nationwide education event, designed to energize [employees] and transform the customer experience.”

There’s something to be said about putting our money where our mouth is. Do you close for one day a year for “in-service” or “staff institute?” Are you following the same tired models for this day that you have for years: speaker, breakouts, lunch, awards, then everyone flees until next time. As Lori points out, how might libraries adopt this model for encouraging and energizing?